Review of the Year - February

Children rejoiced when they enjoyed an unexpected day off after heavy snow blocked Wokingham’s roads and closed the borough’s schools

Children rejoiced when they enjoyed an unexpected day off after heavy snow blocked Wokingham’s roads and closed the borough’s schools.

Snow buried the borough on Tuesday, February 3, with hundreds of people taking to parks to enjoy sledging and build snowmen.

Salt reserves ran low for many councils, but Wokingham had ordered a fresh supply to keep the borough’s roads ice free.

Council bosses dropped the axe on travel tokens for older people in their 60s.

The decision, which was made by Wokingham Borough Council’s executive committee, was attacked by Liberal Democrat leader Prue Bray, who claimed it would hit some of the most vulnerable people in the borough.

She said: “Tokens will be denied to pensioners who are on the lowest incomes and will especially hit those pensioners who do not receive the extra means-related tokens.

“The Tories say the Government free bus pass is better value for pensioners and the travel tokens are no longer needed, but try telling that to those pensioners who live in areas of the borough that don’t have any bus service.

“Travel tokens were a godsend to these people who are unable to travel by bus.”

Before the change, everyone aged over 60, and disabled people regardless of their age, was entitled to concessionary tokens allowing them to choose how to travel. They are valid on buses, trains and even taxis, with £40 being available for people over 60 and £80 for people on certain types of benefit. People can also opt for a free bus pass.

A scrutiny panel of both Conservatives and Liberal Democrats spent three months reviewing the scheme. However, the executive unanimously voted to change the threshold for people applying for travel tokens to 70 from April 1, although people aged 60 and above can still have a bus pass.

Cllr Rob Stanton, executive member for corporate services, said: “My view is the bus pass is much better value to the resident.”

Thousands of runners were anxiously awaiting the new date for Wokingham’s Half Marathon after frosty conditions forced organisers to cancel for only the second time in 25 years.

Last year, half marathon entrants were basking in sunshine, but this year’s start line conditions offered a stark contrast on Sunday, February 8, with slush, snow and ice covering Cantley Park in Twyford Road.

A week of snow had frozen the ground, leaving dangerous ice patches around the 13.2-mile course, which takes in Hurst, Twyford and Wokingham.

A disappointed Peter Evans, chairman of the half marathon committee, said: “The council and police feel very sympathetic, so hopefully we can get something sorted.”

The last time the half marathon was cancelled was in 1991 because of heavy snow on the route, which in those days ended at Carnival Field in Wellington Road.

A prisoner swapped ‘doing bird’ for catching one when he rescued a flyaway parrot with a whistle.

Stephen Reid downed tools at Dinton Pastures Country Park in Hurst, where he was working on day release, to coax Nelson the African Grey out of an apple tree.

The 20-year-old inmate turned parrot whisperer, who was jailed 18 months ago for GBH, used birdsong to rescue the escaped pet.

Mr Reid said: “I just started whistling to him and he started whistling back.

“He flew down out of the tree next to me. I put my hand out and he walked onto it.”

The bird belonged to 12-year-old Shiva Chohan, from Hurst, and had been missing for three days when he was spotted on Tuesday, February 17.

Mr Reid, who was seeing out his sentence at Reading prison, had no knowledge of birdsong but said Nelson was very receptive to his amateur ornithology.

He said: “I just did a normal whistle, but it was quite strange how friendly he was. He was a bit shaken so I wrapped him in a towel.

“He just sat on my shoulder and my knee eating an apple and some peanuts.”